Load Specifications
Load data in caliber 9 mm Para with .356 | 120gr | LEE Mold 356-120-TC bullet and 58 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Alliant UNIQUE, ReloadSwiss RS 20 and Hodgdon Universal.
Important Notice: DO NOT go below Minimum Charge or above Maximum Charge. Since we have no control over the equipment and components used, any responsibility and liability for the results achieved is rejected.
Only powders/loads that match the current filter criteria are displayed: max pressure of a load ≤ 90% of max. standardized pressure, fill rate ≥ 60% and propellant combustion ≥ 80%. Use the sliders above the tables to adjust these thresholds.
Charge: Powder weight in grains. Start with the minimum load and work up carefully.
FR (Fill Rate): Case fill as a percentage. Values above 100% mean compressed loads.
MaxP / %: Maximum chamber pressure in bar and as a percentage of the standardized maximum for this caliber.
V(0): Muzzle velocity in feet per second (fps) at the standardized barrel length.
z (Powder Burn): Estimated propellant combustion percentage at bullet exit.
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Max Load - Barrel Length: 4"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate No. 2 | <<locked>> | 84% | 30,371 psi | 89% | 1148 fps | 96.9% |
| Accurate Solo 1000 | <<locked>> | 84% | 29,704 psi | 87% | 1089 fps | 100% |
| Accurate Solo 1250 | <<locked>> | 92% | 29,414 psi | 86% | 1138 fps | 100% |
| ADI AP 70N² | <<locked>> | 76% | 28,906 psi | 85% | 1155 fps | 100% |
| ADI APS 350² | <<locked>> | 76% | 29,385 psi | 86% | 984 fps | 100% |
| ADI APS 450 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,197 psi | 89% | 1024 fps | 100% |
| ADI AS 30 | <<locked>> | 84% | 28,471 psi | 84% | 1056 fps | 100% |
| ADI AS 50N | <<locked>> | 80% | 27,543 psi | 81% | 1086 fps | 100% |
| Alliant BE-86 | <<locked>> | 88% | 28,079 psi | 82% | 1119 fps | 100% |
| Alliant BULLSEYE | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,139 psi | 88% | 1191 fps | 99.3% |
| Alliant Green Dot | <<locked>> | 88% | 30,835 psi | 90% | 1129 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Hercoᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 23,656 psi | 69% | 1102 fps | 96.8% |
| Alliant RED DOT | <<locked>> | 88% | 29,921 psi | 88% | 1096 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Sport Pistol² | <<locked>> | 76% | 30,066 psi | 88% | 1191 fps | 98.8% |
| Alliant UNIQUE | <<locked>> | 92% | 27,789 psi | 82% | 1171 fps | 98.3% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 100 | <<locked>> | 84% | 28,297 psi | 83% | 1083 fps | 100% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistolᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 23,960 psi | 70% | 1050 fps | 100% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 103 Pistol | <<locked>> | 80% | 27,427 psi | 80% | 1099 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon CFE Pistol² | <<locked>> | 68% | 30,763 psi | 90% | 1175 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon Clays² | <<locked>> | 76% | 29,660 psi | 87% | 1001 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon HP38² | <<locked>> | 64% | 29,660 psi | 87% | 1129 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon HS-6*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 30,008 psi | 88% | 1194 fps | 91% |
| Hodgdon Longshot*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 28,863 psi | 85% | 1181 fps | 92.6% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 9,152 psi | 27% | 722 fps | 98.6% |
| Hodgdon Universal | <<locked>> | 84% | 27,760 psi | 81% | 1138 fps | 100% |
| Lovex S011² | <<locked>> | 72% | 28,195 psi | 83% | 1093 fps | 100% |
| Lovex S020 | <<locked>> | 84% | 29,718 psi | 87% | 1168 fps | 99.7% |
| Maxam CSB 1 | <<locked>> | 96% | 29,747 psi | 87% | 1142 fps | 100% |
| Maxam CSB 2 | <<locked>> | 92% | 27,224 psi | 80% | 1138 fps | 100% |
| Maxam CSB 3 | <<locked>> | 88% | 28,645 psi | 84% | 1112 fps | 100% |
| Maxam CSB 4 | <<locked>> | 84% | 28,587 psi | 84% | 1093 fps | 100% |
| Maxam CSB 5 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,472 psi | 86% | 1060 fps | 100% |
| Ramshot Silhouette² | <<locked>> | 76% | 29,341 psi | 86% | 1181 fps | 97.1% |
| Ramshot True Blue*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 30,690 psi | 90% | 1201 fps | 93.5% |
| Ramshot Zip² | <<locked>> | 64% | 28,413 psi | 83% | 1119 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 12 | <<locked>> | 80% | 27,789 psi | 82% | 1132 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14*ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 7,948 psi | 23% | 702 fps | 93.1% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 20 | <<locked>> | 96% | 29,022 psi | 85% | 1201 fps | 99.7% |
| Rottweil P 801² | <<locked>> | 76% | 30,269 psi | 89% | 1125 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan A0 | <<locked>> | 92% | 27,862 psi | 82% | 1122 fps | 98.1% |
| SNPE Vectan A1 | <<locked>> | 84% | 29,660 psi | 87% | 1125 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA 9 | <<locked>> | 84% | 28,587 psi | 84% | 1119 fps | 99.9% |
| SNPE Vectan BA10² | <<locked>> | 72% | 27,543 psi | 81% | 994 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA7 1/2*ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 28,906 psi | 85% | 1165 fps | 91.7% |
| SNPE Vectan BA9 1/2 | <<locked>> | 88% | 29,979 psi | 88% | 1152 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 2* | <<locked>> | 92% | 30,603 psi | 90% | 1273 fps | 88.2% |
| Somchem MP200 | <<locked>> | 84% | 28,689 psi | 84% | 1168 fps | 97.6% |
| Somchem MS200 | <<locked>> | 88% | 28,616 psi | 84% | 1152 fps | 99.1% |
| Vihtavuori 3N37* | <<locked>> | 92% | 27,949 psi | 82% | 1178 fps | 92.5% |
| Vihtavuori N310² | <<locked>> | 68% | 30,821 psi | 90% | 1047 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N320 | <<locked>> | 84% | 30,458 psi | 89% | 1125 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Starᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 17,753 psi | 52% | 909 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N330 | <<locked>> | 84% | 28,369 psi | 83% | 1155 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N340 | <<locked>> | 88% | 27,282 psi | 80% | 1135 fps | 98.2% |
| Vihtavuori N350*ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 28,572 psi | 84% | 1184 fps | 93.2% |
| Winchester 231² | <<locked>> | 72% | 29,631 psi | 87% | 1135 fps | 100% |
| Winchester 572*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 28,616 psi | 84% | 1184 fps | 91.6% |
| Winchester AutoComp | <<locked>> | 92% | 28,906 psi | 85% | 1148 fps | 100% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 4"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate No. 2*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,199 psi | 42% | 860 fps | 85.3% |
| Accurate Solo 1000² | <<locked>> | 60% | 16,404 psi | 48% | 886 fps | 100% |
| Accurate Solo 1250*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,980 psi | 35% | 820 fps | 92.9% |
| ADI AP 70N² | <<locked>> | 60% | 17,651 psi | 52% | 968 fps | 98.5% |
| ADI APS 350² | <<locked>> | 60% | 18,971 psi | 56% | 850 fps | 100% |
| ADI APS 450² | <<locked>> | 60% | 18,231 psi | 53% | 863 fps | 100% |
| ADI AS 30² | <<locked>> | 60% | 15,127 psi | 44% | 850 fps | 100% |
| ADI AS 50N² | <<locked>> | 60% | 15,954 psi | 47% | 896 fps | 99.9% |
| Alliant BE-86² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,821 psi | 35% | 823 fps | 95.5% |
| Alliant BULLSEYE*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 16,694 psi | 49% | 948 fps | 92.5% |
| Alliant Green Dot² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,910 psi | 44% | 873 fps | 99.7% |
| Alliant Herco*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 12,792 psi | 38% | 863 fps | 86.9% |
| Alliant RED DOT² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,141 psi | 41% | 846 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Sport Pistol*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 18,681 psi | 55% | 991 fps | 93.3% |
| Alliant UNIQUE*² | 3.9 gr | 64% | 12,995 psi | 38% | 869 fps | 87.1% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 100² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,967 psi | 41% | 846 fps | 98.6% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 8,021 psi | 24% | 709 fps | 93.9% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 103 Pistol² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,562 psi | 43% | 889 fps | 99.4% |
| Hodgdon CFE Pistol² | <<locked>> | 60% | 23,264 psi | 68% | 1070 fps | 99.4% |
| Hodgdon Clays² | <<locked>> | 60% | 19,087 psi | 56% | 860 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon HP38² | <<locked>> | 60% | 26,121 psi | 77% | 1083 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon HS-6*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 22,408 psi | 66% | 1073 fps | 86% |
| Hodgdon Longshot*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 21,437 psi | 63% | 1056 fps | 87.6% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 4,337 psi | 13% | 528 fps | 87% |
| Hodgdon Universal² | 3.7 gr | 60% | 14,388 psi | 42% | 896 fps | 96.4% |
| Lovex S011² | <<locked>> | 60% | 20,175 psi | 59% | 971 fps | 99.7% |
| Lovex S020*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,663 psi | 40% | 879 fps | 91% |
| Maxam CSB 1*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,473 psi | 34% | 804 fps | 92.3% |
| Maxam CSB 2² | <<locked>> | 60% | 10,718 psi | 31% | 823 fps | 96.7% |
| Maxam CSB 3² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,663 psi | 40% | 853 fps | 98.3% |
| Maxam CSB 4² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,765 psi | 43% | 869 fps | 99.9% |
| Maxam CSB 5² | <<locked>> | 60% | 17,347 psi | 51% | 892 fps | 100% |
| Ramshot Silhouette*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 17,477 psi | 51% | 971 fps | 89.6% |
| Ramshot True Blue*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 19,609 psi | 58% | 1014 fps | 85.9% |
| Ramshot Zip² | <<locked>> | 60% | 25,034 psi | 73% | 1073 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 12² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,562 psi | 43% | 915 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14* | <<locked>> | 84% | 5,526 psi | 16% | 600 fps | 86.1% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 20*² | 4.1 gr | 64% | 11,850 psi | 35% | 850 fps | 87.5% |
| Rottweil P 801² | <<locked>> | 60% | 18,086 psi | 53% | 958 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan A0*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,053 psi | 35% | 807 fps | 85.3% |
| SNPE Vectan A1² | <<locked>> | 60% | 15,650 psi | 46% | 892 fps | 97.9% |
| SNPE Vectan BA 9*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,953 psi | 44% | 879 fps | 94.1% |
| SNPE Vectan BA10² | <<locked>> | 60% | 20,363 psi | 60% | 899 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA7 1/2* | <<locked>> | 88% | 20,798 psi | 61% | 1027 fps | 86.1% |
| SNPE Vectan BA9 1/2*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,822 psi | 41% | 866 fps | 94.7% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 2* | <<locked>> | 88% | 26,252 psi | 77% | 1207 fps | 85.4% |
| Somchem MP200*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,938 psi | 41% | 883 fps | 86.6% |
| Somchem MS200*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,792 psi | 38% | 840 fps | 88.2% |
| Vihtavuori 3N37* | <<locked>> | 80% | 19,609 psi | 58% | 1033 fps | 86.5% |
| Vihtavuori N310² | <<locked>> | 60% | 24,961 psi | 73% | 981 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N320² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,562 psi | 43% | 886 fps | 99.9% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star² | <<locked>> | 60% | 6,425 psi | 19% | 636 fps | 98.3% |
| Vihtavuori N330² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,647 psi | 37% | 869 fps | 95.5% |
| Vihtavuori N340*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,632 psi | 34% | 817 fps | 85.4% |
| Vihtavuori N350* | <<locked>> | 84% | 18,231 psi | 53% | 1001 fps | 85.4% |
| Winchester 231² | <<locked>> | 60% | 19,972 psi | 59% | 988 fps | 99.5% |
| Winchester 572*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 24,511 psi | 72% | 1115 fps | 89.1% |
| Winchester AutoComp *² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,327 psi | 33% | 810 fps | 90.5% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
* not dangerous but load has suboptimal powder burnt with possible characteristics such as extensive muzzle flash or inaccurate loads.
² fill rate low - you might want to consider using a filler to ensure proper ignition.
ᴾ possible press load - work up slowly to this load while watching for signs of excessive pressure.
This overview compares 58 powders for 9 mm Para loaded with the .356 | 120gr | LEE Mold 356-120-TC. SNPE Vectan SP 2 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 1,273 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 702 fps to 1,273 fps. Alliant Herco gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 41 of the 58 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (235 MPa), the top charges use 23–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. Alliant Herco, Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol, Hodgdon TrailBoss reach 100 % fill or more at maximum charge, so these are compressed loads: they need a long drop tube to seat cleanly and react sensitively to the case capacity of your own brass lot. Alliant UNIQUE, ReloadSwiss RS 20, Hodgdon Universal rank at the top here: for 9 mm Para with the .356 | 120gr | LEE Mold 356-120-TC they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Hodgdon HS-6, Hodgdon Longshot, Ramshot True Blue burn incompletely and react more sensitively to barrel length and temperature. Accurate No. 2, Accurate Solo 1000, Accurate Solo 1250 stay subsonic at start load. Always begin at the start load and work up in small increments while checking case and primer for pressure signs.